Boomerang May Not Have Come Back, but
by theAirshipLibrarian
Summary: I've always mourned the loss of both Boomerang and Space Sword. I feel like Sokka deserves some happiness in his life besides Suki (who is suitably awesome, it's true.) One-shot.


**This is just a little story I wrote after watching the finale yet again (so good!) As sad as it is, the part that always disappointed me the most was when Sokka lost his space sword and his boomerang in one go. This is basically a happy-making story in which one of those two comes back. Yay! **

**This is around the time of The Promise and The Search. **

**I don't own any of Avatar: The Last Airbender. **

* * *

The Earth Kingdom house belonging to the Gaang whenever they were in Ba Sing Se was one of the most comfortable houses in the world. Sokka was almost sure that even the Fire Lord's palace couldn't possibly be more comfortable. And absolutely no where was half as comfortable as the love seat where he sat with Suki at the very moment. It was such a wonderful thing, it was inspiring all sorts of jokes and puns in his head.

"Hey, Suki, hear this one!"

"Not now, Sokka." Suki shut him up by putting a finger to his lips. "Shhh."

Blushing, Sokka rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Uhh, okay... Quiet is good."

They were still sitting in a comfortable silence when Aang came zooming into the room on an airball.

"Hey, Sokka, come on!" The bloke who dared interrupt the lovely moment was Aang, and he had a big grin plastered on his face- no surprise, really. "I've got something to show you."

"What could you possibly have to show me that could be better than me sitting here, on a very comfortable couchy-chairy-thingy with Suki?"

Aang raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that's not the name for it, but come on!"

Grumbling, Sokka allowed Suki to push him up and followed Aang half-heartedly. "This had better be worth it, Aang, or I'm going to stuff your bed with weasel-snakes and spider-moths."

Sokka followed Aang outside to where Katara was beaming and holding something behind her back.

"This, crazy big brother is for you," she whipped the object out into the open, revealing a shiny, metal sword. It wasn't as bad as swords go, but utterly average and not even close to approaching the level of awesome that Space Sword had.

Sokka attempted to force a smile on his face. "Thanks for the thought, Katara, but this isn't my sword."

"Sokka," Katara's voice was gentle, but firm. "You're not going to find Space Sword again. You need a new weapon."

"I know, and I'm keeping my eye out for one. I'll know my new sword when I see it, and this isn't it."

"Oh," Aang said, slightly disappointed. He shrugged it off quickly though and nodded with understanding. "I guess that makes sense. You need a weapon you know and can trust in your hand."

"I'm glad you get it, Aang. I'm grateful, really, but this is something I'll need to find myself."

Aang grinned and slung an arm around Sokka's shoulder. "Hey, you just need a little bit of that good ol' positive attitude, Sokka, and it'll come."

"Yeah," Sokka said insincerely and lamely. "Positive attitude. Now I'm going back inside to Suki." As he slumped off, Aang and Katara shared a concerned look.

"He needs something to pull him out of this slump," Aang murmured quietly so that Sokka wouldn't be able to overhear him as he left.

"Yeah," Katara agreed. "Ever since Sozin's comet he's been different, and it's more than losing his Space Sword. It's like something else has changed inside of him. Maybe he's just older and hardened, but it seems deeper than that."

Aang nodded. "It's in all of us though, Katara. For so long we focused on defeating the Fire Lord and now that we've done it, we get to return to building up normal life. Yet we can't. It is deeper, but it's deeper than just Sokka."

"Maybe you're right," Katara said hesitantly, not wanting to agree with him completely about the whole group's inability to relate as normal children and teens anymore to the rest of the world, but knowing that he certainly had a point.

"You know I'm right," Aang said seriously and a dark shadow was cast over his expression. "But we don't need to dwell on it. In fact, I think we should travel to the place of the fight with Ozai and look at how the trees are growing back. I've heard glowing reports and think that the seeing it for ourselves could be a really positive and healing experience."

"That just might be what we need, Aang. A nostalgic ride on Appa together!"

* * *

Two days later, the Gaang was flying through the skies over the still scarred Earth Kingdom. As they flew they saw villages rebuilding their charred homes. Forests were burned to the ground, much like the Panda Spirit's forest that they'd seen earlier. Yet, despite all this, there was hope. There was hope in the way the Earth Kingdom dwellers were picking up the pieces of their old lives and starting again. There was hope in the the new saplings sprouting up and the new grass growing over the meadows and fields. The people and environment had suffered a blow, but they were both working at hard for the restoration of balance in their world.

"How ya' feelin', Sokka?" Aang called back from where he was at the Appa's head with the reins.

"Great, Aang!" Sokka yelled back, real joy creeping into his voice. "Positive Attitude and faith in the universe has returned!"

"Just what I like to hear," Aang said with a grin, casting a beaming look at Katara who was also looking down at the Earth Kingdom with tears of hope and joy in her eyes.

"You know what would me as happy as the rest of you?" Toph piped up from where she lounged in Appa's saddle. "If we were to land so I could feel some sweet, sweet earth in between my toes."

For Toph they obliged, and landed in a clearing where new grass had sprouted and was providing a light green glow. She walked a ways, reveling in the beauty of solid ground and then stopped. She gasped, causing the rest of the Gaang to look at her with worry. She dug her feet into the ground in an attempt to get a clearer view of the area. Then she laughed. "Sokka! Come!" She ran off without waiting to see if the others were following, which they were of course.

Toph's Eye-feet led them about fifteen feet away where a sword was, sticking straight up out of the ground. It was a sleek black sword, obviously crafted with some skill and bearing the mark of a master.

"I- I can't believe it." Sokka spoke quietly instead of the booming yell of triumph that most expected. "Can it really be?"

"Sure looks like it," Katara said, chuckling. "Can you imagine?"

"Hey," Aang said, crossing his arms. "Positive attitude."

And then Sokka let out the joyous whoop they'd all been waiting for. "MY SPACE SWOOORD!" He ran forward and tugged it from out of the ground, and then hugged it to his chest. "Thank you positive attitude, indeed."


End file.
